#9 - Tracey Collins is ‘Wild About Story’
The first thing that Tracey would tell you about herself will probably be
“I’m a networker.”
But what is even more important to her: “I love children. I love to listen to children.”
There it is again. You need to listen to be able to tell.
Tracey’s life really is all about stories and storytelling
One of her ‘babies’ is the ‘Storyteller’s Book Club’. It’s a monthly virtual meeting point on Zoom that I have grown to appreciate a lot over the last years.
Finally, I get to meet Tracey in person. She has set me up with most of the people I have met so far. She truly is a real networker.
Tracey tells stories mostly to children.
An area of storytelling that I’m not familiar with at all.
She regularly tells stories in the cancer ward of a children’s hospital. That’s a very individual setup. Just one kid at a time. Unfortunately, I can’t accompany her there.
But fortunately she is also telling stories in schools. And there I’m allowed to go with her.
So, on Wednesday we go to a primary school. That day it will all be about witches. I am so curious!
Equipped with her ukulele and several self-crafted rhythmic instruments
... Tracey heads off. It’s a matter of seconds for her to draw the kids into her stories and songs. We all had so much fun!
But even at the end the children weren’t quite sure of how scared they should be of the witch.
My home is so much closer to the Russian wood in which the scary Baba Yaga lives. So, even while we were leaving some wide-open eyes asked me in a whisper, if I have ever seen that ugly witch.
What a magical afternoon!
To make sure that she will never run out of stories
... Tracey also runs a small but very special bookshop.
She was in the process of setting up some training for storytellers when covid killed all her various enterprises.
The first thing I would tell you about Tracey
“She is flowing over with ideas. If the world of stories could be just a tiny bit more profitable here Tracey would make our world so much more colourful with all her ideas.”